Tag: proverbs

On some playground as I child, I learned to sing the song “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” I guess that was to appease the bullies on the playground as we stuck out our tongues at them, but in reality it couldn’t be farther from the truth. Words do hurt and they can do great harm. Wars have been fought because of words.

There are many people who are struggling in life today not because of physical injuries on a playground but from words spoken out in anger, rage or disgust. Physical injuries through the years have healed fast and words have not healed so fast. For many, negative and destructive words play over and over like a bad movie in the heart and soul.

Words are very powerful. We listen to the words spoken to us and they impact us more than we realize. They move us, inspire us to action, comfort and encourage us, bring healing or they can crush us and devastate us. We are changed either positively or negatively simply because of words. We are even impacted by our own words and tend to follow what we have declared. You have heard people say they are not good enough, smart enough and it seems that their life follows suit. They almost become self-fulfilling prophecies.

I am reminded what the writer of Proverbs says about the power of words:

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:20

“A fool’s mouth is his undoing and his lips are a snare to his soul.” Proverbs 18:7

Be careful of what you say as it just might come to pass. I am not advocating that we never speak what is reality. If we are hurt, angry or depressed, denying it is not going to make it go away. I do think it would serve us well to take inventory of our speech. What would it be like to tape ourselves on any given today? We probably would not be very happy by what we heard. What are we declaring about ourselves on a daily basis? What is our self-talk like?

When we speak, we really are listening to our own words and those words are impacting us either positively or negatively. What would happen if our words started sounding more like God’s words about us? What would happen if were intentional about speaking words that brought life and encouragement to ourselves and others?

Our words are powerful. They are ever changing us and others around us. What kind of life do we really want to live? If our tongues have the power of life and death and you and I are going to eat the fruit of our conversations, I say it’s time to start speaking in the right direction. If we can learn to encourage, build up and not to tear down ourselves or others around us, I believe we will experience powerful changes of good “fruit” in our lives.

The writer quoted Proverbs 6:10-11 (Proverbs 24:33-34) and rightly concluded: The owner was resting and sleeping when he should have been working. What began as a nap ultimately became a lifestyle of laziness and disregard, leading to decline. His laziness betrayed the God who had blessed him. The lesson was obvious: Hard work is a wisdom virtue, necessary for becoming wise and intercepting entropy.

If people walked past your house, looked in your garage, or sat in your office, what would they think? As followers of Jesus, we’re called to intercept entropy with the pursuit of wisdom, hard work, and diligent stewardship, including—but not limited to—organized and orderly lives. Let’s pursue wisdom and work hard in everything we do.

All of us are capable of being passionate, regardless of our personality type. Even the most unemotional person can be zealous about something. Some people are into soccer, for others it’s food. So the issue isn’t whether or not one can be zealous, but where a person’s devotion lies.

In Romans 12, the apostle Paul provides some instruction that includes being zealous in serving the Lord. John Piper paraphrased it this way: “Do lots of work for Christ, passionately.” The words “never be lazy, but work hard . . . enthusiastically” (v.11) emphasize being earnest and devoted in getting things done. What does that look like? Consider the following questions:

Romans 12:11 also contains this idea: Do lots of work for the Lord passionately—not being grouchy. A person passionate about serving the Lord doesn’t consider the number of hours he has clocked in for the Lord. He’s willing to do more, and he does it without complaint or protest. The reason is simple. Serving Jesus is the highest privilege in the universe for human beings.

Let’s do what we can and should today. For when we lazily put off until tomorrow what we can do today, we steal tomorrow’s joy.

The Ancient Greek storyteller Aesop’s Tale of the Grasshopper and the Ant is a perfect reminder of the detrimental impact of lazy living. Throughout the summer, the ant worked hard, gathering and storing food for the winter. The lazy grasshopper laughed at him, saying it was time to play and sing. When winter gripped the land, however, the grasshopper had no food and begged the ant to let him have some, but there was no excess to share.

Laziness is a habit that can lead to our living on the generosity of others. The apostle Paul showed little patience for those who were unwilling to work, stating that they should not eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10). He taught the believers in Thessalonica how to steer clear of procrastination and idleness. His instruction included never accepting food from anyone without paying for it and to work hard day and night so they wouldn’t be a burden to anyone (2 Thessalonians 3:8). He also urged them to settle down and earn a living and challenged them to never get tired of doing good (2 Thessalonians 3:12-13).

Jesus also spoke of working quickly to carry out the tasks assigned to us by God, for night is coming when no one will be able to work (John 9:4).

Although Paul delivers a stern warning against laziness, even challenging us to stay away from people who are idle (2 Thessalonians 3:14), he implores us not to treat the lazy as enemies. Instead, he urges us to warn them as we would a brother or sister (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15).

In Proverbs 24:30-34, the writer viewed the farmer’s property, he immediately discerned the kind of person he was—complacent, lazy, and one who lacked judgment. His property was overgrown with thorns and weeds and the wall stood in ruins (Proverbs 24:31). The sage’s audience would have been appalled at the farm owner’s carelessness and would have surmised: The owner’s sloppy habits and disorganization was evidence of his physical and spiritual neglect.